Tunnel Creek

The road that leads to Tunnel Creek has been reopened after the tanker accident so we are able to head out that way today.

There are no words to adequately describe just how cool Tunnel Creek is.

Mr Awesome had read that we needed to take torches and water friendly shoes which made it all the more exciting. Especially since our feet got wet the moment we entered the cave.

Tunnel creek is Western Australia’s oldest cave system. Like Geikie Gorge it is part of an ancient Devonian reef system. The tunnel goes for some seven hundred and fifty meters. At some points the water is said to be waist deep though the only ones who got water near their waists were the little two. Mind you we were there at the end of the dry season so I am sure that a good wet would change things.

As we walked through the darkness, guided by Mr Awesome and his rather awesome torch we saw  quite a few stalactites stalagmite formations. Mr Awesome taught the girls a little rhyme to remember which was which. Something about one goes up and the other goes down. Just quietly though rocks and such have never been overly interesting to me so I paid little attention and can’t remember which is which.

The fact that I find it difficult to pronounce stalactite and stalagmite might also have something to do with it. Regardless of my disinterest though it was a bit lovely to listen to Mr A share something from his childhood with the girls. Especially since they were hanging on his every word and quickly able to point out which was which.

When we got to the end of the tunnel we were greeted with a rather quaint and picturesque river image. We walked down a little further and sat on the edge of the creek to have a bit of a snack and a drink. 

There was a monitor on the other side of the bank that the girls delighted in watching sun bake for a while. I delighted in listening to the overseas tourists discuss whether it was a crocodile or not.

As with Echidna Chasm and Cathederal Gorge I was astounded how many people no sooner got to the end and then turned around and headed out. There was next to no one who sat and enjoyed the serenity of the bush before them. It once again made me so thankful to have the time to sit and make the most of where we were.

Geikie Gorge

Our original plan for today had been to go out to Tunnel Creek. This plan quickly needed changing though on account of a fuel tanker that lost it’s end trailer the day before spilling aviation gas all over the road. At the time of it happening word was the road out of town and leading to Tunnel Creek would be closed for up to forty eight hours.

I can’t help but feel this was the universe’s way of telling us to go to Geikie Gorge. Somewhere along the line someone had told us that Geikie wasn’t really worth looking at so we hadn’t given it too much thought.

Whoever that person was, was wrong. Really really wrong. Geikie Gorge was rather beautiful. 

The best part  about Geikie was that they had a Gorge boat tour that was affordable enough for us to go on. Family ticket was about $64 dollars which meant it was well and truly within our budget. A lot of other tours are far to expensive for a family of five. 

It was only an hour long tour but there was plenty to be seen in that hour.

Geikie Gorge is in a national park about 20 kilometres away from Fitzroy Crossing. Geikie was named after Sir Archibald Geikie who was some important person in England (who never even made it out to Australia let alone the gorge) when the the area was given it’s European name way back in 1883.  The traditional owners are the Bunuba people and the ranger giving the tour was fairly confident that before too long the park will be known by it’s Aboriginal name Darngku.

As with a lot of the gorges in the Kimberly area Geikie Gorge was once a reef that formed during the Devonian period. The limestone walls were formed by algae and lime secreting organisms that are now extinct.

The water in Geikie is from the mighty Fitzroy River which during the wet season can rise the water level by nearly seventeen meters. The change in water levels was visible as the colours of the rock walls change. It was rather impressive to think of just how much water could be in there at times. I can’t recall the exact figures but the ranger kept saying there was enough water to fill Sydney Harbour a ridiculously large amount of times.

As well as the boat tour there are a few walking paths along the gorge that you can take. We had a bit of a wander around though the girls were not overly interested. After the boat ride and some lunch they were more than happy to head home.

Instead I insisted on dragging them along the walks because it seemed silly to be there and not explore everything. Mind you on the walk home I may have run off on them all in the search of some peace and quiet. I was sick of all the complaining and figured a quick getaway was much better than yelling and screaming. Being the competitive person that I am I tried to make it into a game by letting them know before I sprinted off that it had suddenly become a race to get to the end.

A race mind you that no one was interested in taking me up on. Which was kind of nice because a lot of the path was rather sandy so it was particularly hard going. I may have stopped running not to long after getting out of sight. Interestingly enough Mr Awesome reported that the whining stopped the moment I disappeared.

Fitzroy Crossing

With great reluctance we leave the beauty of Mary Ponds and head on towards Fitzroy Crossing.  We will set up camp for a few days here and do a few day trips back on to the Gibb River Road and check out Tunnel Creek and Windjana Gorge.

The options of places to stay are rather limited so we decided to check out the Fitzroy Crossing Lodge (as opposed to the Fitzroy Crossing Inn). Though in all honesty the real deciding factor between the two was that we happened to come across the Lodge first. Which actually made Mr Awesome a bit happy because he had read good things about it on Wiki Camps which is essentially a bit of a bible app for us of.

Turns out all that Wiki Camps had said was true and it was quite a lovely set up. Particularly since when we arrived there were lots of empty spaces so it appeared to be quite spacious.

We were given the luxury of selecting our own site and after much deliberation went with one that was well away from everyone else and under the shade of a tree.

Unfortunately as it turns out we actually managed to place ourselves in the middle of two sites. Something we were not told about until we were set up and unable to move. Mind you it did not stop a van being slotted in right next to us a little later on.

Shortly after we arrived a road train carrying aviation fuel had an accident just passed Fitzroy Crossing. While no one was injured the road was closed and suddenly the empty caravan park began to fill up. As fuel was all over the road there was the possibility of it being shut for up to twenty four hours.

After a quick trip into town for some fresh milk and ice for our drinking water we quickly discovered that much like Halls Creek there was no take away alcohol available for sale. A fact that only really made us sad because it was a Friday night and there was football we wanted to watch.

Thankfully there was a pub attached to the Lodge so we went up and watched the game there. As a special treat (mainly for me) we also had dinner there. I can not begin to explain how excited I was not to be cooking for the night.

The other notable mention for Fitzroy Crossing was seeing two old school Fords pull up towing caravans! I am not normally much of a Ford girl but there was something rather impressive about touring around the country in these old girls.

Five in Five

For more years than I care to work our right now blogging has been a rather biggish part of my life. When we embarked on #ouradventureofalifetime blogging was forced to take a back seat. The lack of internet connection in the first few weeks made it impossible.

This was both a good and bad thing.

Good because I suddenly had so much more time on my hands and bad because without regular posts my readership started to die down. Until it happened I didn't realise just how much of an ego boost seeing people stop by to read my words gave me.

While on the one hand I was happy to be blogging for me and creating a schedule that wasn't run around whatever blog linky was on that day I was also desperately missing all the comments and views from being a part of such communities.

Amidst my woes and poor bugger me thoughts I discovered that all was not as I thought it seemed.

Right when I needed it most I discovered that I had been nominated for this rather cool little award.
Thanks Alicia

So without further ado here are my five in five.

1. How long have you been blogging and why did you start?

My first posts here are date all the way back to January 2008 Essentially I started this blogging capper so I could feel more like a real writer. I had hoped that from blogging I would be discovered as a wonderful writer. That's how it works isn't it?

2. If your wardrobe could talk what would it say about you and tell us about your favourite or most worn item?

At the moment I don't actually have a wardrobe. As wonderful as Edna may be she doesn't exactly extend to closet space so we are all currently living out of suitcases. It is strange feeling not having to worry about what you wear. Given that I am pretty much out in the wilderness all the time at the moment the most important aspects of my clothes are functionality. And by that I mean a collar and sleeves to protect me from the sun.

3. What's your idea of the perfect date night?

Any time alone with Mr Awesome counts as a perfect date night. Most nights of late are spent reclining back in our chairs sipping away at a glass of red, staring at stars. The last full moon may have seen a special little adult rendezvous on the sand as the waves crashed nearby which was all kinds of magical...

4. What's on your Worth Casing list?

Top of my Worth Casing list at the moment is this great land I live in. Hence the whole #ouradventureofalifetime thing.

In terms of bloggers I like to case most it is a bit tricky, I feel quite disconnected from blogging of late on account of just not being in a position to read much online these days. If I do get a chance though this is where I like to head

Snippets and Spirits, an open and honest look at life and motherhood and all that it entails. Written with words so beautiful that even the pains are a pleasure to read.

Essentially Jess, an all round beyond awesome chick who makes me want to be a better person and inspires me to try. She also hosts my most favourite linky ever IBOT (to which this post is linking to because it is Tuesday and I have blogged).

Colours of Sunset, one of my IBOT buddies when I was a member of #teamIBOT before I began galavanting around the countryside. Aside from having an incredibly cool name Aroha also has an interesting take on life that leaves me thinking.

You learn something new everyday. Talented and down to earth this blog is all kinds of awesome including some of the best song rewrites you will ever come across.

The Miss Cinders. A woman full of awesome that would rather you didn't tell her so. Just quietly awesome doesn't even begin to describe just how amazing she is. My heart skips a little at the thought of seeing her on #ouradventureofalifetime

5. If you had a theme song what would it be and why?

Right now I think we're all going on a summer holiday  sums me up best. Only it is much longer than a week or two.

Snapshots of Us Weeks 36-38

It has been another couple of big weeks in the Awesome household. I returned from Darwin with the wonderful news my clot was gone and I no longer needed to take my medication. Which made the trip all rather worthwhile. Upon my return the girls stuck to me like glue for the next few days. You would have been sworn I was gone for five months rather than five days.

Sunset at James Price Point WA.

The home I returned to.

After leaving bare beauty of coastline living at James Price Point we head further up the Dampier Peninsular to an even more beautiful coastline at Cape Leveque. Though the living was not nearly as bare.

This shade shelter made life feel rather luxurious 

The view from inside the shelter

From Cape Leveque we headed back down the coast and returned to Broome for a few days. Just in time to view the staircase to the moon. An event that happens a few days every month on the full moon. Unfortunately though my photography skills let me down and there are no shots to share with you.

The other highlight in Broome this time round though was camel riding.

Mr Awesome and Lovely on the camel behind me

The two little girls and I shared a camel

 When we left Broome we headed further down the coast. Not too far mind you as we found this great station stay called Barn Hill. It is a working cattle station with a caravan park attached and backs onto a rather lovely little beach.

On the second day there Zany found an injured sandpiper on the beach that she insisted on taking care of. Thankfully after an hour of care it seemed to be making a miraculous recovery so we were able to return it to the beach.

The thing I love most about this selfie is the lovely loomband necklace I am sporting is thanks to Teapot! 

There are worst ways to start the day

As I lay here, shivering away under a blanket designed for someone much smaller than I, my brain seems to have gone into overdrive in the thought creation department. Which would be much better if it wasn't sleeping time. Though I guess for some just after five in the morning isn't really sleeping time. 

I have been awake for a little over half hour now. Zany woke me to inform me of her being cold and smelling wee. Which is not really the best of news in any mother's book. 

Turns out that Teapot had wet the bed in the night. I sent Zany to snuggle in my bed as I tried to think of the best way to deal with all that was before me. 

I shouldn't really complain though as she is still only little and these do happen. Especially when you fall asleep before you have had a chance to complete your nightly ritual of teeth, toilet bed. I really have no one but myself to blame. I was more interested in my crochet and watching the stars appear than bedtime duties last night. Mother of the Year right there and this current situation I find myself in is my prize. 

In more MOTY moments I may have just pulled the doona over the wet patch rather than change the sheets. Hence why I am scrunched up in a ball under an ill fitting blanket debating my own need to go to the toilet. 

The downside to this caravanning life I currently lead is that Edna does not have a loo inside her. Which is only really sucky on cold mornings like this. After watching the grey nomads at the van parks continually have to empty their little boxes of human waste from their flash toilet including vans I am a bit glad it is not something we have to deal with. 

The sun is all but up now. A light glow is trying to peak in through the windows. For the most part though our awnings slow the process down. Delaying the start to our days just a tiny bit. The birds however are trying their best to let us know they are up and catching all the worms. Their songs and melodies are calling out from the branches of most trees nearby. There are worst ways to start the day I guess. 

The urge to urinate can no longer be ignored. I finally manage to find the gumption to get out of bed, put some warmish clothes on and traipse across the cold damp grass to the toilets. I love how there is no roof on them. 

The fear of disturbing sleeping children prevents me from returning inside Edna. It also means that coffee must wait a little longer. Suddenly a whistling kettle does not seem like the wisest purchase. 

Instead I wander down to the ocean. I have been listening to the waves crash since I woke. The tide is on her way out now. I find so much comfort in the soft calling that she makes ebbing away on the shoreline.  

Turns out that the sun was not nearly as up as I thought she was allowing me the opportunity to catch most of her graceful rise. It always amazes me how crowds flock to watch the sunset but on the way up no one is around. Though I am pleased for the solitude right now. 

As I watch the golden ball rise higher into the sky I marvel at how quickly it gets up. Unlike myself. Some days even on #ouradventureofalifetime dragging my feet out of bed can take in excess of fifteen minutes. Why that is I am not really sure. Perhaps the incessant mum cries have something to do with it. Children can be so relentless some days. 

Today I have the upper hand. As much as I may have been woken in what some might say was not the best way, how I actually started it was on my terms with the sun and the sea by my side. 

Did you know a flock of crows is called a murder?

Today sees me typing from yet another glorious location. Perched on the banks of the Mary River at a place called Mary Pond. Surrounded by various gums and an array of birds it is hard to believe that currently this is my life.

The girls have just finished hanging out the load of washing that we put through the machines at the van park this morning before we set off. The small clothes line we purchased the other week has already paid of itself a dozen times over.  

Even Teapot is able to help thanks to the an extra low hanger thing that dear old Bev gave me. Bev and Brian were our neighbours in Kununurra the second time we stopped in there. We and their friends Win and Kev all arrived at the same time and despite a generational gap we all got on like old friends. 

I love that it makes this chore one the girls can now take on.

Which I must admit is mostly thanks to Mr Awesome. 

I realised this morning that he really is somewhat of a social butterfly. People are just drawn to him and while he may claim to not like talking to people, people most certainly like talking to him. He seems to forever be engaging in conversations with strangers. I tend to be a bit more hesitant in chewing the fat.

As the afternoon draws on a few stray cows from the nearby station wander on by. 

This provides us all with great entertainment. 

Lovely is adamant that she wanted to touch one so we carefully follow a few around seeing how close we can get before they get spooked.

There was one that was more interested in us than Lovely had bargained for. 

Hysterics ensue when it sticks it’s long tongue in Lovely’s direction. I contemplate at how it would've made for a brilliant photo only I was to busy living in the moment to capture it properly.

A flock of corellas swoop in low above my head. They gracefully scatter themselves amongst the branches and perch there for a while. Intermittently calling out to one another with a range of calls. I can’t help but wonder what each call means. If there are different words for each pitch and sound?There  certainly is no mistaking a difference in each squawk.

Of course it is not just the cockatoos that make me wonder what is being said. I listen to all the birds and ponder of what their song could mean. Do they talk just to their own species or are their cries understood universally across throughout the bird world.

Not long after we arrived this morning the crows were carrying on like nothing I have heard before. There was no denying their displeasure at something. What remained that was remained to be seen mind you. 

There would have been at least twenty to thirty of them all sitting in the branches of a tree not far from where we had decided to set up Edna for the night. They all kept repeating the same cry over and over. A few cockatoos were with them. Quietly watching, refusing to be moved.

The noise was so loud and constant that Mr Awesome went a little closer to investigate what was behind the disturbance. I watched through Edna’s window pleased to have a valid reason to delay my unpacking duties while marvelling at how beautiful our surroundings were.

After a few minutes it was evident that Mr A had found the cause of the raucous. My curiosity kicked in and I went to join him in his investigation.

Sadly we discovered the body of a dead bird.

We are not sure what caused it’s death but whatever it was was relatively recent. If we had to guess chances are pretty good that the crows are to blame. 

Did you know a flock of crows is called a murder? 

There is a valid reason for this. They are super territorial and when there territory is threatened by another species they turn into bullies. A gang mentality at it’s greatest.

I try not to dwell on it for too long though. I secretly love the crow. They walk with such confidence and aren’t afraid to stand their ground. Their black feathers in the right light shimmer and shine hiding a glimmering green that is not often seen. I also love that one of their call’s sounds like Mark. The name by which Mr Awesome is also known.

Mind you it is this aspect that he despises about them most. Growing up on a station where there were crows a plenty he would mistaken their call for his mother calling him home. A point that makes me giggle whenever I think of it. 

For now though I must try and recall all of the happenings of the last ten days. I have been so busy living in the moment I have not stopped to record the details for later. Which is both a good and bad thing. 

Halls Creek to check out Wolfe Creek

Day 23

Today we leave the Bungles and head to Halls Creek. We had planned at stopping at Spring Creek again only when we got there there wasn’t really any room so we soldiered on to another spot only to decide that we may as keep going till reached Halls Creek. This second spot was dry and dusty and already filled with more people than what there was shade.

The plan had been to go to Old Halls Creek however when we got there it was so old looking it kinda felt like a ghost town. Decrepit and desolate don’t even begin to describe it. Mind you the caravan park in Halls Creek proper was also a bit on the dry, dusty and run down side. But at least it had running water, showers toilets and washing machines. Which in itself was something of a luxury after the simplicity of the Bungles.

Mind you the most disappointing part about Halls Creek was that they didn’t sell take away grog. At all anywhere. At least not that we could see. Thankfully our supplies weren’t completely gone though so at this stage it wasn’t a huge issue. We were only hoping to top up in case of an emergency if you will.

The highlight though was having internet connection and being able to update the blog!

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Day 24

While it was possible to camp at Wolfe Creek it was not something that I was really interested in doing. And no the movie had nothing to do with that. 


The road leading to the Wolfe Creek Crater was 120 old kilometres of rough dirt that I didn’t really feel like taking poor old Edna on. She had already done extremely well on the in and out of Purnululu plus there are still a few places on the Gibb River Road that we hope to get to so we don’t really want to push our luck too far with her. 

Alright maybe the movie also had a tiny bit to do with my reluctance.


Part of the road out there were not nearly as bad as what we were expecting it to be. Other parts of the road were far worse than what we thought it might have been like which made us rather glad we weren't towing Edna. 

The real highlight of the road though were the wedge tail  eagles that we saw.

They really are a magnificent bird and seeing them by the side of the road was a pretty exciting moment.

Wolfe Creek itself was not really as exciting as what I had hoped it would be. Though I am not really sure exactly what I was expecting.


The crater is approximately  875 meters in diameter and measures about 880 meters across. From the edge of the crater’s rim to the crater floor is currently 60 meters down. It is believed to have originally been as deep as 120 meters though. Which essentially makes it one big hole in the ground. It is estimated that the the meteorite that formed the crater had a mass of 50,000 tonnes. It is believed that the age of the crater is less than 300,000 years though it was not spotted until 1947.

Standing on the edge of the rim looking into the crater I couldn’t help but notice the resemblance to a crop circle of sorts. Inside the crater was a circle of trees that looked little like any of the tress that were on the outside. At least in the distance to my inexperienced tree eyes.

After we had stood on the top for a while, holding tightly to Teapot I might add because it was so ferociously windy we feared she might have been blown away, we walked back down to the car and organised some lunch. Chatting intermittently with others who had dropped in to check out the crater.

We made it back to the caravan park with plenty of time to get some food shopping sorted and ready Edna for our moving day the next day. Another must see successfully ticked off our list.

Things I Know that make me smile

As promised yesterday I am back today with a slightly happier tone. Though it feels like I have razor blades in my throat when I swallow and I am coughing up some chunky green stuff so it is possibly not going to be as happy as I perhaps hoped for. Oh and did I mention I have sore back, have done for well of a week now. All of which may or may not play a part of my grumpiness.

But enough of that today is all about the things I know that make me smile.

I know that being a part of a blogging community makes me smile. Hence why today I am joining in with TIK over at Ann's. One thing I have really missed while on #ouradventureofalifetime is reading other people's blogs and joining in with linky loving fun. Sadly limited internet just doesn't allow for it. Today though I am breaking our internet rules and just quietly that makes me smile.

I know that people taking the time to come and read my ramblings makes me smile. Especially when they leave me a comment to let me know they have stopped by.

I know that being nominated in blogging games makes me smile. Thanks Alicia.

I know that coffee makes me smile. Especially since we are just about at the end of the awful Nescafe jar!

I know that being able to take photos like this make me smile.

Cable Beach North

James Price Point

Camel riding on Cable Beach

I know that hearing Mr Awesome laugh as he talks to other campers makes me smile.

I know today not being a moving day makes me smile.

I know that waking up over looking the coast line makes me smile.